Book Bunnies

Caramel reviews Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel (Book Eight of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland and Mike Holmes

Caramel reviews the graphic novel version of Escaping Peril (Book Eight of Wings of Fire) by Tui Sutherland (with art work by Mike Holmes).

Anyone who has perused any of our content here knows that Caramel loves dragons and by extension, Tui T. Sutherland’s Wings of Fire series. In the past few years he has read and reviewed quite a lot of the books in and related to the series. Today he reviews Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel, the graphic novel version of the eighth book of the main series, written by Tui Sutherland, illustrated by Mike Holmes, and published in December 2024. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

[Caramel reviewed both the original version (The Dragonet Prophecy) and the graphic novel version (The Dragonet Prophecy of the very first book. He reviewed only the graphic novel versions of the next four books: The Lost Heir, The Hidden Kingdom, The Dark Secret, and The Brightest Night. These five make up the Dragonet Prophecy story arc.

Here are Caramel’s reviews for the five books that make up the second story arc (the Jade Mountain): Moon Rising, Winter Turning, Escaping Peril, Talons of Power, and Darkness of Dragons. And here are his reviews of the graphic novel versions of the first two books in the series: Moon Rising and Winter Turning. The current post contains his review of the eighth book, the third in this story arc.

Finally here are Caramel’s reviews of the five books making up the third story arc (the lost continent prophecy): The Lost Continent, The Hive Queen, The Poison Jungle, The Dangerous Gift, and The Flames of Hope.]

Caramel reviews Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes. — Caramel reviews *Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel* (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes.

Sprinkles: Hi Caramel. I know you are delighted to be holding in your paws a new Wings of Fire book!

Caramel: Yes! It is the best possible book ever made to review!

S: You mean, until the next book comes out?

C: Yeah, probably.

S: Okay, so this is the graphic novel version of book 7 of the Wings of Fire series, right?

C: No, not quite Sprinkles. It is book 8!

S: Of course you would know! And you have already read and reviewed the original book.

C: Yes, can we put a link to my review?

S: Sure. That makes sense. Here is the link to Caramel’s review of the original version of Escaping Peril.

C: Thanks.

S: So tell us a bit about the book then.

C: This is about Peril, a Skywing with a weird mutation, called fire scales, where the scales are very hot and capable of burning almost anything.

S: Okay, you dove right into the world of Wings of Fire. So let us start slow. We are in this land of dragons, where there are a few different clans or tribes of dragons, each with their own special powers and strengths. And Skywings are one of those tribes.

C: Sure Sprinkles, but the readers already know all that. Or they should. After all, this is the eighth book of the series!

S: You have a point Caramel. I guess if anyone is reading our blog, even sporadically, they would know that! You have already reviewed so many books in this world.

C: Yes, I am not sure I can list them all. I mean there are fifteen books in the series, five books each for three different series, making up the main fifteen books. I reviewed most of those books. Then there are the graphic novel versions of them, but they are not all out yet. This is the eighth book, so I have reviewed seven of those so far. And then I reviewed a few other books about the dragons of the Wings of Fire universe.

S: True. Let me put a link here to your reviews of those four books: Wings of Fire: A Guide to the Dragon World, The Winglets Quartet: The First Four Stories, Dragonslayer, and Darkstalker.

C: Thank you.

Caramel is reading Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes. — Caramel is reading *Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel* (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes.

S: So okay, let us go back to Peril. So Escaping Peril is not about escaping danger, but escaping from this dragon named Peril, then?

C: You could read it like that, because Peril is dangerous, but also you could read it as Peril is the one escaping. Because the book is really about Peril discovering herself and saving herself from her queen.

S: That is a cool play on words then!

C: Yeah, it is. See why I love Wings of Fire?

S: Yeah, I can see that it is only about the wordplay. Not about the amazing dragons, not at all.

C: No, of course it is not only about the wordplay! It is the whole thing.

S: I know. I’m just teasing you, Caramel. I do know how much you have enjoyed reading these books.

C: Good. Glad we made that clear.

S: So Caramel, this is the eighth book in the series. But each of these books is about an individual dragon, and so perhaps one could read them out of order. What do you think?

C: Sure they could, but it makes a lot more sense if you read them in order.

S: So they are chronologically ordered, then?

C: Yes, definitely. So knowing what happened in the earlier books explains a lot of what is going on in the later books. But you are also right, that one could simply dive into this book, for example, and get a good sense of the world.

S: But it is clear to me that you think readers should start from the beginning and read every single book in order.

C: Yes. And then reread them. Over and over and over again. Like I have been doing all this time.

S: I know! Your copies of some of the books have really worn out…

C: I prefer to call them “well read” or even “well loved”.

S: I love that Caramel! I love that you love books!

C: Only some books!

S: Okay, that is right, but it is also perfectly fine! Anyways, back to Escaping Peril. I know you have already read the graphic novel versions of the first seven books and the illustrations are done by the same artist. So maybe there was nothing surprising about the illustrations this time?

C: That’s right, nothing surprising. Except of course these dragons are awesome and the illustrations all do a great job in helping me visualize them!

S: That is wonderful, Caramel. It seems like the author and the illustrator really made this work. Anyways, maybe this is a good time to wrap up our review. So tell me what you are most excited about, having read this book.

C: Well, now I am ready for the graphic novel version of the ninth book!

S: That will be released this year, I think.

C: Really? So happy to hear that! And I also heard that there might be a totally new sixteenth book! So I have a lot to look forward to.

S: I am so happy for you! And in the meantime we will read a lot of other books.

C: Of course!

S: So then, what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel is excited to have read Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes, and looks forward to rereading it many more times in the coming weeks and months. — Caramel is excited to have read *Escaping Peril: The Graphic Novel* (Book Eight of Wings of Fire), written by Tui Sutherland and illustrated by Mike Holmes, and looks forward to rereading it many more times in the coming weeks and months.

Sprinkles reviews When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne

Today Sprinkles reviews a cute little poetry book, When We Were Very Young, written by A.A. Milne, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, and originally published in 1924.

Sprinkles reviews When We Were Very Young, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. — Sprinkles reviews *When We Were Very Young*, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard.

Today I am excited to share with the readers of the book bunnies blog a wonderful little book of poetry, written over a hundred years ago, in 1924. If you are curious, you can read the poems in their entirety here in the Project Gutenberg page for the book. But I have to say that holding the book in your hands (or, as in my case, in your paws) is a real pleasure. The illustrations by the estimable Ernest H. Shepard are simple and yet timeless.

A.A. Milne wrote the poems in this book for his son Christopher Robin, who was four at the time. In his introduction he tells us that these verses often should be read as if they are coming from the voice of Christopher Robin or another young child, and when you read them out loud, that is almost always the feeling you get. And so I can imagine a young bunny and an adult one who loves them sitting down to read a few of them at a time and having a really wonderful time together.

There are a total of forty-four poems in the book. Many of them reflect different aspects of a young child’s life or zero in on small moments that loom large. There is a poem about the pleasure of being in the rain with waterproof outerwear (“Happiness”), another about how the four different chairs in the nursery could be different places and make for fun adventures all on their own (“Nursery Chairs”), and yet another about the joys of simply being outside without a purpose to go any particular place (“Spring Morning”). Then there are more playful poems about made-up characters and their stories. There is for example a poem about an elephant who is friends with a lion who is friends with a goat who is friends with a snail (“The Four Friends”), another about a dormouse who loves geraniums and delphiniums but is prescribed by a doctor to grow chrysanthemums instead (“The Dormouse and the Doctor”), and yet another about an alchemist who after years of effort is still unable to get it quite right (“The Alchemist”).

Sprinkles is reading When We Were Very Young, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard. — Sprinkles is reading *When We Were Very Young*, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard.

Two of my other favorites in the book were the one about rice pudding (unsurprisingly named “Rice Pudding”) and the one titled “Lines and Squares” about why you should stay in the squares and never step on the lines when walking on a sidewalk–for otherwise a bear will eat you!

And then there is the thirty-eighth poem, “Teddy Bear”, which starts with:

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back

And then there are twelve more stanzas with similar rhyme and goofiness. The poem finishes in the way it started, but with a twist:

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat
Which is not to be wondered at.
But do you think it worries him
To know that he is far from slim?
No, just the other way about--
He's proud of being short and stout.

And thus we see the birth of a little creature who would eventually become the world’s most famous bear: Winnie the Pooh! Ernest Shepard was apparently thinking of the teddy bear his son had while drawing the illustrations for the poem. These illustrations and Christopher Robin’s own toys together led to A.A. Milne creating the Winnie the Pooh character in the stories in the next couple years.

But even if you are not intrigued by Winnie the Pooh or his origin story, the poems in this book are lovely. And they are such a pleasure to read! Their simple melodies and sweet themes would also make them wonderful candidates for reading out loud with a younger bunny in your life. In other words, as Marshmallow would put it: if you are searching for a neat book to read out loud with the young bunny in your life or if you are simply looking for a lovely poetry collection about the magic of childhood to bring a smile to your face and a bit of childlike joy into your heart, then this might be the book for you!

Sprinkles recommends When We Were Very Young, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, to all who love the littlest bunnies in their families and want to read poetry with them. — Sprinkles recommends *When We Were Very Young*, written by A.A. Milne and illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard, to all who love the littlest bunnies in their families and want to read poetry with them.

Caramel reviews Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall and Jim Daly

Today Caramel picked up a beautiful picture book originally published in 2000: Sugarbush Spring, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Sugarbush Spring, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly. — Caramel reviews *Sugarbush Spring*, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly.

Sprinkles: It is almost spring here, the spring equinox is tonight, and so today we are talking about a book about spring, right Caramel?

Caramel: Yep. We are.

S: But this is a spring that is quite different from the ones we are used to here where we live, right?

C: Yeah it is still snowy there and we almost never get much snow.

S: I know, right? Seasons are different all around the world. And we are in the northern hemisphere, so when it is our spring, it is fall in the southern hemisphere. So even more different.

C: Yes, Sprinkles. You said it is almost spring here, and yet in Australia, for example, that is not correct.

S: I know, right? It is pretty cool actually. That we live all around this planet, and we experience quite a lot of different things, and yet, we all experience seasons in some ways. So the spring in this book is what kind of a spring?

C: Well, there is still snow on the ground, but during the day it is above freezing.

S: That is quite different from where we are, right? Here, we almost never go below freezing.

C: Yeah, it does not ever get too cold here, at all.

S: Yet, Marshmallow is always cold when it is just a bit cooler than usual.

C: Yeah, it is very funny.

S: I think it is funny because I have lived in places which got a lot colder than here, but also she does not always think about wearing warmer clothes to keep warm. Then again, neither do you. You would go out with shorts and sandals every day if you had your way.

C: That is not funny.

S: Okay, I see how things are. When it is Marshmallow, we can make fun of her, but when it is you, oh, it is not funny anymore?

C: Yep, it was only funny when it happened to Marshmallow.

S: Okay, let us not make fun of anyone then. I think people (and bunnies too of course) get used to where they have been living for a while, and so they notice the changes in the weather where they live even if they are not big changes in comparison to other places. So let us get back to Sugarbush Spring.

C: Yes, let’s. That way at least I won’t be insulted.

S: I was not trying to insult you; I was only teasing. I am sorry.

Caramel is reading Sugarbush Spring, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly. — Caramel is reading *Sugarbush Spring*, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly.

S: Okay, back to Sugarbush Spring. So this story must be about somewhere in the northeast of the United States, or maybe Canada, right?

C: Yeah, they are making maple syrup, and it says that they are in Canada.

S: Cool! Tell me more.

C: When it is time, when it is no longer freezing during the day, they go to a tree and they take some sap from the tree and make some maple syrup from it and at the end they make candy from the syrup.

S: That is cool! Did you know that is how they make maple syrup?

C: Yes I did, but this book has lots of cool pictures showing exactly how they go through the full process of making maple syrup.

S: Of course, you are a little bunny who really knows a lot of things. But you are right, the pictures in this book are quite instructive. But they are not like textbook pictures.

C: Yes, they are very colorful and they are relatively detailed and very pretty.

S: Also quite realistic. I mean they almost look like photos.

C: Yeah. and it is fun to look at them. The details are neat. I especially liked how they made the candy in the end.

S: Of course! Maple syrup candy must taste so good. I have never had one but I can imagine.

C: I bet it tastes even better when you watch it being made. Hmm, now I want some maple syrup candy.

S: Unfortunately we do not have any at home Caramel. And we do not have any maple trees to make maple syrup, either.

C: I know it is kind of sad. But I guess that is why it is good we can find some of those things in the supermarket. Though I am not sure if I ever saw maple syrup candy at the store… Hmm…

S: I am sure there is a benefit to having access to a sugar bush. According to Wikipedia, that means a collection of maple trees used to make maple syrup.

C: Yeah, it sure would be cool. And I see now, that is why the book is called Sugarbush Spring. It is spring and they will make maple syrup from the sugar bush.

S: Good catch, Caramel! That makes total sense.

C: Yep, I’m so smart, aren’t I?

S: Yes, you are! So maybe this is a good time to wrap up this review. If you were to summarize this book in three to five words, what would you say?

C: Hmm, let me think. Colorful springtime with maple syrup.

S: That works! So that is it then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Happy Spring Equinox! And stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Sugarbush Spring, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly, and recommends it to all little bunnies who are curious about spring time in other places, and all those who love maple syrup. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Sugarbush Spring*, written by Marsha Wilson Chall and illustrated by Jim Daly, and recommends it to all little bunnies who are curious about spring time in other places, and all those who love maple syrup.

Marshmallow reviews Powerful by Lauren Roberts

Last year Marshmallow reviewed Powerless and Reckless by Lauren Roberts, the first two books of her Powerless trilogy. As we are getting ready for the release of the third book in the series, she finally decided to take a look at Powerful, a book published in 2024, which is set in the same world as the books of the trilogy, and placed in between the first two books chronologically.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Lauren Roberts’ previous books or enjoy ‘romantasy’ novellas, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Adena is a seamstress. She and Paedyn found each other whilst living—or trying to continue to do so—in the slums of Ilya. (Both Adena and Paedyn are from Powerless, so readers should probably have read that book before diving into this one.) Since then, they’ve been inseparable. Lauren Roberts’ previous books centered on Paedyn but, in this novella, Adena and Mak are the main characters. Mak is a new addition to the world of the Powerless series. He shows up in this book only (so far), but many fans of the book hope he will make an appearance in the main trilogy. During the main books, Paedyn gets selected to compete in the Trials so Adena is left alone in the slums. Before, Paedyn—an adept thief—would steal food for the both of them, while Adena sold her skilled handiwork. As a result of this arrangement, Adena is unable to procure food alone. So when Mak needs help (and offers to feed her in return), she cautiously accepts. Like Paedyn, Hera who is a person very dear to Mak was also chosen for the Trials. Mak wants Adena’s help in making a guard uniform so he can sneak into the king’s castle and say goodbye to her. He and Adena become allies with a shared goal. Buuuuttt, as expected, they start sharing more than just goals…namely, feelings—the romantic kind. Apparently, their dynamic is regarded as a classic trope: the grumpy sunshine trope. I’m not too into romance, but this was well-executed. Adena is somehow the sweetest person, despite having had to grow up in the slums. Mak is sarcastic, harsh, and (in my opinion) a little too mean to her. But over time, they start to warm to one another and find that they can share things with each other that they haven’t with anyone else. But as the Trials draw to an end, readers of the Powerless series will know, so is Adena.

Marshmallow is reading Powerful by Lauren Roberts. — Marshmallow is reading *Powerful* by Lauren Roberts.

Marshmallow’s Review: This book, along with the Hunger Games trilogy, is one of the few books that have ever made me cry so hard. 🚨🚨🚨 MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT 🚨🚨🚨 In the main Powerless series, we saw Adena die, but I was in no way, shape, or form prepared for this to be so impactful. Caramel actually read this book before me and said it was really sad. But he must have a higher tolerance because this book made me contemplate how cruel the world is, that of Ilya and our own. This was a heart-shattering novella. Adena’s death in this book was much more impactful, partly because we saw her more. It shows that getting to know someone impacts how much empathy you have for them. I think books like these are necessary so we understand how human everyone is, even if you’re from different places with different beliefs. Even if you’re a bunny. Everyone deserves empathy, even if they’re not as pure and kind as Adena. I would definitely recommend this to everyone, because (like The Hunger Games and A Tale of Two Cities) I think this book has really made me think about what kind of bunny I want to be, how I want to act, how I want to live my life, and how I want to make the world a better place for all bunnies.

But this was such an emotionally devastating experience that I would not recommend it to children younger than fourteen. There is some romantic tension throughout, but it doesn’t culminate into anything too inappropriate. There is passionate kissing but nothing at the level of the Me series (which in my opinion, was a little too much). The ending is also very graphic and disturbing. Psychologically and philosophically, I found this to be a very disturbing book. This definitely made me think a lot about how humans can be cruel in ways I literally cannot seem to find words for. Again, I would not give this to a child younger than fourteen, unless they’re able to think about and comprehend the moral and emotional implications. Even without thinking about how this reflects on our world, I think this book is an amazing work of art. Considering the meaning makes this a masterpiece that reveals what is left out in so many stories. How many times has the extra who got killed off in season one gotten a story? Adena was more than that for the series, but this book pays homage to all those people who were an afterthought in the plot.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates Powerful by Lauren Roberts 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Powerful* by Lauren Roberts 100%.